DVIDS – NEWS – Light and tough: Al Dhafra Air Base participates in Operation Agile Spartan exercise

AL DHAFRA AIR BASE, United Arab Emirates – During Operation Agile Spartan, airmen and soldiers at Al Dhafra Air Base mobilize to geographically diverse locations as part of the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) exercise March 10-12, 2023 .
The exercise demonstrated the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing’s ability to conduct command and control and establish base operations support and task generation at multiple simulated cluster locations while conducting MQ-9 Reaper launch and recovery operations.
To achieve this, two separate military teams operate at three different locations during the exercise. Each team is composed of individuals with different Air Force Specialty Codes (AFSC) and Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) to ensure that the simulated cluster locations are capable of completing missions requiring specialized knowledge.
Before the exercise began, a cross-section of professional pilots were trained for the common mission, developing a Multi-Ability Pilot (MCA) and achieving the minimum footprint required to complete the mission.
Senior Master Sergeant Major 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Air Staff Operations Maintenance Director and ACE Exercise Co-Director John Whitfield has led the team on a successful path over the past five months.
“Our goal is to create a repeatable, sustainable and predictable foundation for ADAB production air power,” Whitfield said. “This exercise proved that we can recruit pilots and soldiers from all the different AFSC/MOSs, train, organize and equip them, and develop them organically into MCAs.”
MCA training focuses on providing advanced readiness skills outside of a member’s AFSC or MOS for critical roles in mission generation, command and control, and base operations support in austere and challenging competitive environments. This allows smaller emergency response teams to build up operations, which is especially important for the ACE concept.
Col. Tanner Woolsey, Air Staff Director of Operations, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, said: “It shifts the air power projection mindset from large, centralized bases to smaller, austere locations that enable centralized command and distributed control over a network and decentralized execution. Combined with an MCA enabler, ACE increases troop survivability while generating combat effectiveness. “
During the exercise, the team launched and recovered the MQ-9 harvester nine times at three different simulated cluster locations after successfully moving 80,000 pounds of equipment into a crude location and establishing the necessary operational support functions.
Whitfield is encouraged by the progress the team has made in this exercise and the future development of the ACE concept. “As a military, we are constantly evolving. We are not a fighting force that sticks to what we have always done. We adapt our future fighting methods and strategies to give us an advantage. This exercise showcases and highlights planning with a smaller footprint , move and operate and be able to sustain these efforts.”